Red and Gold
by Estriel
Summary: A few little fluffy sparkles in the run up to Christmas... Pepperony, with others including Steve/OC and Bruce/Betty to come.
1. Brown and Blue

_"Oh the weather outside is frightful,_

_but I've got a new particle accelerator…_

_So since there's no place to go,_

_Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow….up!"_

Tony sang to himself as he tightened a bolt, Dummy hovering over his shoulder.

A bleep and the tap tapping of heels on concrete made him turn, grabbing a rag to wipe his hands, as he met the accusing gaze of the lovely Ms Potts, who was clearly mad at him for...something. Hopefully nothing fatal, anyway.

It was the shoes, you see… The Louboutins. Her elegant black pumps clicked delicately when Pepper felt calm; they popped seductively when hips were swung slightly and her walk turned sassy…and they tapped aggressively, like now. All entirely dependent on the mood of their red headed occupant. It was, Tony reflected, an entirely new type of early warning system. Perhaps with a pressure gauge built in, and a transmitter, he could check the amount of trouble he was in at any given point in the day? Hmm….It would have to be subtle for her not to notice the shoes- he could replace them one pair at a time while she was at the office, or even buy her new ones...

"Are you even listening, Tony?!"

The tone in Pepper's ever so slightly shrill exclamation attracted his attention- finally.

"Pepper…You sound stressed. That's not good for you, you know- I'm sure that whatever it is, a nice massage in Hawaii would fix it…We can take the plane if you want- oooh, we could go this weekend? Or maybe Europe- they have the best Spa's you know…"

"Tony! Be serious! I can't go to Europe, and I certainly can't go this weekend. Now, please- focus! You need to sign these year end budgets, and the shareholders annual letter, and there's my leave approval form. Can you do these now, please?"

Pepper briskly ran down her task list, and placed the clip board in front of him on the desk. This brought her perilously close to him, and they both froze for a moment, guiltily enjoying the illicit moment of intimacy. He drew his eyes up towards her face, and a slight blush contrasted the knowing smiled that touched her lips as she leant back again. Disappointment flashed through him, and it was only then that her words registered fully in his mind (which was still processing shoe options that would leave more of her long legs on display yet distribute weight accordingly to activate the pressure pad...)

"Wait- leave? You're going on holiday?"

Brown eyes met blue in confusion. Pepper breathed out lightly, and looked away.

"It's Christmas, Tony…I need three days off. My sister has had a baby, and she wants it to be a big get together. I haven't been home for Christmas in ten years, and I owe her this."

Knowing he wouldn't deny her wasn't the same as feeling it was ok to ask. Pepper knew that Tony, like many orphans, found Christmas difficult. It was why she had always made a point to be around in their usual routine, working late, bringing him a turkey sandwich and some eggnog for dinner on the 24th and leaving a small present on his desk for Christmas morning. She then slipped off home for New Year, when Tony was out partying so hard he wouldn't miss her.

She knew those expressive brown eyes were dismayed, and she couldn't look at him properly, not when it was her that had brought him pain.

Tony held back on a peevish lip quirk that would have given him away, despite the fact that she couldn't seem to look at him. Kind of proud of how his voice was calm, concealing the pang of slight sorrow that their tradition of quietly carrying on with life in the midst of a celebration of love that clearly didn't apply to him (well- not **that** kind of love, he mentally amended, dwelling momentarily on that rather lovely brunette who had been making eyes at him at the conference yesterday, and had slipped her number into his hand as he left)…

"Pepper- of course. You need to be there. I'll be able to carry on working for those few days, and we'll catch up at New Year. Take as much time as you need. Family is…important."

She looked at him with soft, liquid, loving eyes, and he was quite simply undone.

"Yes, you're right- it is. Thanks, Tony."

Unaware that she had left him speechless- taking his inability to babble as an abrupt way of ending the conversation- Pepper Potts turned and carried both an empty coffee cup and a little part of Tony back upstairs, heels popping and clicking in a delightful diminuendo as she walked away from him.


	2. Orange and Fuzzy

Pepper had left half an hour ago.

It felt like months. The house was so darn quiet- even Rolling Stones couldn't liven things up. He found himself listening for the click of returning heels- maybe a forgotten task, or an afterthought would bring her back, even for a moment.

It was only a couple of days.

But it was 10am on the 24th of December, and even JARVIS was offline, reconfiguring a new update Tony had programmed in case a larger version of 'The Grinch steals Christmas' went down on a larger scale, and Iron Man had to make sure nobody's presents were redistributed around town, so to speak. Tony had worked on his car, then given Dummy some oil (creaky wasn't even the word). Even the brunette had made her apologies, citing plans to make dinner for her family over the holidays, as lovely as his hot tub sounded...

Rhodey would drop by around noon tomorrow- they always had Christmas lunch at a local diner together. But all of today was…free.

Hmm. Mexico? Always drug cartels to overturn there…Nah. Pepper'd freak out if he got on the news again while she was away.

Absentmindedly, he buzzed the intercom up to her office, listening to nobody pick up. To his horror, JARVIS came online unexpectedly, and announced:

"Calling Ms Potts."

"Wait- JARVIS, no.."

"Tony?"

"Ah- Hi, Pepper…"

"Did you use the intercom to call me?"

"Uh- no, JARVIS has a glitch and drunk dialed you…forget it, see you at New Year, bye!"

"Tony- I asked JARVIS to priority call me whenever the intercom was buzzed for me. What's up?"

"You what? Why- Pepper, I'm fine, I just leaned on the button as I was…"

Casting around for ideas, his gaze settled on the bench, where a small wrapped parcel sat. A present. For him.

"…Thinking about presents."

He could hear the indecision in her voice. There was background noise- glasses clinked nearby, and he heard her move away, and a door shut softly.

"Honestly, Pepper- I just, well, I just forgot, and was going to get you to wrap something for Rhodey. Dummy can do it, though. Get back to your holiday. Relax, kick back, have fun."

"Tony…"

"Oh, I've got yours as well- erm, so watch out for a delivery, ok?"

"Really? Tony, you shouldn't have…"

The joy in her voice took him back a step, so he almost ended the call by accident. Of course- he usually just left her to buy herself something with his card. She seemed shocked- but definitely pleased- at the thought he had chosen something for her. Growing realization shot through him. Now he was going to have to get her something!

"Sure, Pep- it'll be here when you get back. Gotta go, ah, um, superconducter is overheating! Bye!"

He let go of the button, hearing half of her squeaked 'wait!'

As he slumped against the wall, JARVIS came online fully.

"Update installed, Sir. Would you like me to select something from Ms Potts recent browsing history for you to purchase, Sir? There are some rather nice velvet platforms with Swarovski crystals that she has viewed approximately twenty four times in the past month."

"No, JARVIS, I'll have to choose something special…wait, 24? Every day? Get them anyway, and have them delivered to the office for the 30th December."

Four hours later, nothing was right.

Tony had browsed, browsed, and browsed again. He had taken a trip into town. He had called around the best places in New York. Heck, he'd even called Anna Wintour, asking what the best present for a beautiful girl was at Christmas. She'd snorted down the phone and enquired when she should expect delivery of her surprise gift.

He'd then been side tracked sending her rare orchids from Brazil for five minutes before remembering his original purpose.

What did Pepper need? Hmm. Maybe he should be asking- what did Pepper love? He cast his mind over conversations of the past year. No mention of a requirement that had not been already fulfilled (mostly, 'I need you to sign…') No longing looks at a particular shop from the car window, or magazines that he'd ever seen her reading with corners flipped down. No veiled hints (well, if there were, he hadn't been listening).

Turns out even a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist superhero needed a minute to get to grips with this whole thoughtful gift idea. But if he didn't get on with it, even the best courier in the world wouldn't be able to get it to Pepper on time (his secret plan to surprise her had clearly not been that subtle- or maybe Editors just have spidey senses for gifts).

"JARVIS, has Ms Potts ever expressed interest in something totally impractical that she won't buy for herself and wants badly?"

"Yes sir."

Tony's silence was mainly due to the pleased smirk spreading across his face. He tucked his hands into his jeans pockets.

"Ok- order it."

"Yes sir. One problem- this item must be collected in person and may require accessories."

Tony shrugged. Not like he had anything better to do- and he could deliver it to Pepper in person, which would be interesting. What kind of people were her parents? What if they were mean, and pushed Pepper into being so overachieving (not that he could criticize, he reminded himself mockingly) and tense? What if she needed an escape route? She hadn't said she wanted to go- just that she needed to go, because of her sister. How many times had she gotten him out of things (board meetings, shareholder presentations, morning after breakfasts…) and here he was, sitting about, when she might need an intervention.

The R8 tore out of the driveway fifteen minutes later.

* * *

**At Casa Potts...8pm, 24th December.**

Pepper sighed as her sister clutched her new niece possessively, and glared at her mother in their family sitting room.

"I'm fine, Mom- she just needs some quiet. She's always grumbly after she first wakes, and those Carol singers really disturbed her."

Veronica Potts and her youngest daughter Vanessa squared off, with baby Verity moaning and squirming in her mother's arms. Pepper recognized the signs of tiredness in all three females (and the notable absence of menfolk, who had preferred washing up from supper to the risk of having the tide turned on them), and stepped forward.

"Hey, why don't I take Verity for a while- I haven't had a chance to cuddle with her yet, and you could both have a rest and catch up on the end of that movie we were watching earlier in the lounge?"

Slightly ashamed, Vanessa handed her over, with a muslin cloth and instructions about bottles that her sister had already memorized, and retired with the older woman for a time out and some peace. Pepper tentatively rocked on her feet, bouncing slightly, as the baby hiccoughed and turned her face towards her aunt.

"Hey, beautiful girl…Hey, now- what's that noise for? You're gorgeous, aren't you, precious thing…"

Pepper had a moment of self-awareness when she realized that she was now one of those women who cooed at babies, and then promptly tucked that thought away at the back of her mind. Settling into her favorite chair, she sung quietly and stroked tiny fingers that clutched on to her blouse, glad of the peace in the family room, and the warmth of the hearth crackling. Verity dozed, and Pepper allowed her mind to drift dreamily as snowflakes started to whirl against the window.

A shadow at the door watched her a little later. Tony had been let in by Vanessa, and after a brief explanation and the obligatory fussing, pointed through to the family room, a shoebox sized red box with a gold bow in hand, and told to come on back through with the others. Vanessa had mentioned that Pepper was with Verity, but until he had seen Pepper, curled in a sage green armchair, whispering to a tiny pink baby wrapped in a soft cream blanket, a curl of red blonde hair falling down her cheek …Well, he had no idea.

No idea that he could want something so sorely, that woman and child could clear his mind of all thought except desire and warmth. That need, deep inside, to be able to settle himself behind her, and stroke her cheek, and run his hand down to help cradle the sleeping baby and woman against himself, to be a part of his own family once more.

Blue eyes flickered to the doorway, and he stepped into the light, not wanting to seem hesitant or guilty. Setting the box down, he greeted her softly.

"Hey, Pep. Who've you got there?"

Pepper smiled up at him, so full of pride and love, that he almost bent down to kiss her right there and then. But then the smile faded a little, and he could see her begin to process his presence in her family home, and he hardened his heart a little in order to protect against possible hard words about disturbing her on leave.

"Hi Tony- what are you doing here on Christmas eve?"

He laid a hand gently on the box, careful not to cover it.

"Want to put the baby down, and open your gift?"

Pepper cast her eyes around, looking for a crib. It had been left in the hallway. Looking at Tony, she had a flash of a wicked idea.

"Sure…"

She carefully cradled Verity against her, and moved to stand up. Crossing the hearth to where Tony perched on the edge of the sofa, she looked him straight in the eye.

"Hold out your arms."

Tony's face went from relaxed/cocky to outright panic faster than Iron Man to warp speed, but years of ingrained habit of obeying Pepper's firm tone caused him to make a cradle with his arms, which shortly after held a sleeping infant. Pepper looked at him triumphantly.

"Do you have any idea of what Rhodey would do for a picture of you right now?" She commented lightly, mischievously stroking Verity's cheek and happening to brush against his wrist.

"Pepper…I'm not good with children…babies…look, it's not metal, I might break it…"

He didn't babble, so much as let the words escape in a slightly breathy sentence that was completely ruined by the complete focus he had on the baby. Brown eyes flicked up and down, cataloguing and enquiring, arms secure, and mouth soft.

"Just one moment, Tony- while I get her carrier."

Pepper stepped out of the room, collecting herself from the moment of longing she had felt, taking a deep breath, and picking up the carrier all in one movement. Calmer, she placed it on the table, and she and Tony maneuvered Verity in, tucked her up, and set her safely to sleep.

Then, the box moved. Tony, who had clearly forgotten it entirely, jumped a mile. Pepper, who had been watching him watching the baby, squeaked- barely remembering not to scream and wake Verity.

"Oh- yes, you'd better open that, Pepper. Merry Christmas!"

Pepper, heart slightly pounding, reached out and pulled the bow undone, releasing the light lid- with holes?

A round, creamy ginger colored face stared back at her inquisitively. The fluffy kitten got up on its back legs to scrape at the side, trying to get out and explore, clearly having shredded the soft paper it had been curled up on and the soft blue bow that had been tied on.

"Oh, Tony…"

"Meowr?"


End file.
